Democrats train fire on Musk as unelected billionaire dips in popularity

Democrats pounced shortly after Musk suggested social security, Medicaid and Medicare would be a target of cuts. Composite: The Guardian/Getty Images

For most of the 17-minute interview, Elon Musk stuck to a script. He was just a tech guy on a mission to “eliminate waste and fraud” from government.

His slash-and-burn cost-cutting crusade was making “good progress actually”, he told the Fox Business commentator Larry Kudlow on Monday, despite sparking a backlash that has reverberated far beyond Washington.